SAN FRANCISCO, October 25, 2016 —
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco today announced the appointment of Nancy Sackson
as Chief Philanthropy Officer.

With more than 20 years of nonprofit philanthropy
experience — most recently at a diverse array of beloved Bay Area cultural and
educational institutions that were leading significant capital campaigns — Sackson
will plan and direct integrated fundraising programs to expand local, national
and international support for the museum’s exhibitions, programs, general
operations and institutional growth.

“Nancy Sackson brings her
broad fundraising expertise to the museum at an exciting point in our institutional
history — we’re celebrating our 50th anniversary, and will be constructing a
new special exhibition pavilion and refreshing our collection galleries
starting in 2017,” says Dr. Jay Xu, Director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum. “Her
strong history of developing philanthropic relationships in the Bay Area and
beyond make her an ideal partner in engaging our community to support the next
stages of the museum’s advancement.”
Sackson will join the museum on December
1, following two years as the Director of Development and Marketing at the
Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, where she masterminded a complete suite of
marketing and fundraising strategies, including membership, annual fund, major
and planned gifts, events, as well as institutional giving and sponsorship. From
2010 to 2014, she was Director of Development at the Exploratorium, serving as a
member of the fundraising team charged with raising $300 million over five
years to build the organization’s waterfront location on San Francisco’s
Embarcadero. Just as exciting, Sackson’s appointment
is a bit of a homecoming: She served as the museum’s Associate Director of Development
andCapital Campaign Manager from 1997 to 2001, helping guide the fundraising
efforts for the Asian Art Museum’s move from its former home in Golden Gate
Park to its iconic current home at Civic Center.

“The Asian Art Museum is a quintessential
San Francisco institution — one that I know and love,” Sackson says. “As the museum’s
Chief Philanthropy Officer, my aim is to harness the visionary leadership of
Dr. Xu and the efforts of the board, staff and volunteers to enhance a culture
of philanthropy that expands the impact and reach of the museum’s programs.”
Sackson’s experience includes
serving as Senior Associate Vice President, Advancement, at the University of
San Francisco, helping raise annual and capital funds to support university
initiatives. She was also Vice President for Advancement at the San Francisco
Conservatory of Music, where she led the $65 million capital campaign for the
Conservatory’s new Civic Center campus. Prior to that, she was Director,
Campaign Operations, at the University of California, San Francisco, helping a
team raisein excess of $300 million annually, while planning and
implementing a broader $1.4 billion comprehensive campaign.

A native of Ohio, Sackson graduated
with a BA in Humanities/Classics and Art History from Ohio Wesleyan University
in 1985 and received an MA in Art History/Museum Studies from Case Western
Reserve University in 1987. Nancy has volunteered for numerous Bay Area animal
welfare organizations including PAWS (Pets are Wonderful Support), the Milo
Foundation and Pets Unlimited.

In March 2016, the museum announced
plans to construct a 12,000-square-foot special exhibition pavilion designed by
renowned Los Angeles-based architect Kulapat Yantrasast and wHY, his
interdisciplinary design practice. Slated for construction in 2017, the new
pavilion will create one of the nation’s premier exhibition spaces dedicated to
Asian art, while increasing the number of exciting special exhibitions of
historic and contemporary art presented for museum visitors.

The Asian Art Museum is one of San
Francisco's premier arts institutions and home to a world-renowned collection
of more than 18,000 Asian art treasures spanning 6,000 years. Through rich art
experiences, centered on historic and contemporary artworks, the museum unlocks
the past for visitors, bringing it to life, while serving as a catalyst for new
art, new creativity and new thinking.
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